Coder
by neverneverever
Summary: Albus Severus is diagnosed with a disease that worsens around magic, forcing him to go Muggle. As he struggles to come to terms with his condition, he meets new friends and discovers all about the Muggle World. When an old enemy resurfaces, the Weasley/Potter clan have to solve the case and keep Albus and his new friends safe, but things turn dangerous...Next-gen, canon, rated T.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've been working on this for a while now, this was the story i originally intended to do when i started my fanfic account :) I would love it if you guys could tell me what you think of it and if i should continue :) read and review and enjoy my friends! Its a next generation fic and completely canon-all Harry Potter books happened :)

Warnings: Tis fairly tame, so no warnings needed!

Disclaimer: i own the plot and the OC's but it's all J.K Rowlings, no ownage here :)

Summary: Albus has a terminal disease that gets worse around magic, forcing him to go Muggle. As he struggles to come to terms with his disease, he meets new friends and discovers all about the Muggle world. When an old enemy resurfaces for the Potter/Weasley clan, things get a little bit dangerous and a little bit deadly...

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Chapter 1

Is it terminal?

That was the question Albus desperately wanted answered and yet he couldn't even begin to bring himself to ask it. Luckily, Ginny Potter was his mother and Harry Potter was his father and they were both stood on either side of him, glaring intensely at the nervous Healer. Well, Harry was stood up with one hand on his son's shoulder, while Ginny sat straight-backed in the chair beside Al, hands clasped to stop them trembling. The healer glanced around the too small office as if praying for someone to pop out of the yellow walls and save him. Al felt a twinge of sympathy for the man, or he would have, had he not been terrified.

"Is it terminal?" asked Ginny, voice catching slightly on the word. Al reached out and grabbed her hand gently, trying to comfort her in some way. She twisted her hands in his and smiled weakly, ceasing her glaring for the time being. Healer White pressed his palms into his eyes for a second before straightening up and looking at them all intently. He seemed less nervous than before, but still worried.

"The problem Mrs Potter," he began, looking at them each in turn before settling on Ginny, "Is that this is an extremely rare disease. There have only been ten or so documented cases of _Coder _and so we have limited research." He stopped here, looking slightly distressed and handed over a bundle of pamphlets, which Harry took, before continuing. "Coder is a genetic disease that targets the Magical core. It has seven stages. The tests we performed the last week or so show that Mr Potter is in the third stage of the disease. The first two were merely warning stages, with symptoms that can be mistaken for Wizard flu or other mild diseases. They mainly focus on weakening the immune system." Healer White stopped here and looked at Al with professional curiosity.

"I suspect that you get tired often and quite quickly." Al nodded, he had been feeling knackered lately, even though the most exercise he did was a quick fly around the pitch to relax-he wasn't even on the team this year. The Healer nodded. "That's due to you arriving at the third stage. It explains it all in the pamphlet but, this stage is where more physical symptoms appear. Tiredness, nausea, Headaches and unexplainable cramps or pains are quite common, along with more serious symptoms in more serious cases."

Al winced. He didn't like the sound of any of those…symptoms. He could feel his Dad's hand tightening on his shoulder, but everything was fuzzy with shock. The Healer was talking again though and he knew he ought to listen so he forced him back to the room.

"-be terminal if it reaches higher stages but, we will do everything we can to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, most of the cures are things that you have to do, Mr Potter."

"What do you mean?" demanded Harry. Al just looked at Healer White in confusion and dread-the man looked even more nervous now. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to like any of these so-called cures. Healer White sighed in resignation and directed his next words at Al's Dad.

"As I told you before, Coder attacks your magical core, forcing it to deteriorate. I'm afraid that any magic will speed up the disease's progression."

Al blanched. He could hear his mother gasping a little beside him and his Dad swearing.

"Are you saying I can't do magic anymore? Do I have to leave?" he gasped out, feeling sick at the thought.

The Healer looked sympathetic-but Al didn't want sympathy, he wanted answers and cures and any other solution that didn't involve leaving the magical world.

"You won't be able to cast spells or use any kind of magic without fuelling the disease. Too much exposure to magic would kill you in a matter of months. It would be best if you left Hogwarts. It is infused with so much magic that even being around it is quite dangerous to your health. Quidditch or flying is out of the question as is the more subtle magic's like, potion-making or Divination. I would suggest going to a Muggle school." He finished softly.

"But my whole family has magic. They use it all the time," Al stuttered wildly, "_I_ use it all the time!" He barely noticed as his mum wrapped him up in a hug, sobbing quietly.

"You will not have to leave your family," Healer White stated firmly, "You can be around magic as long as others keep it to a minimum around you-you will not have to leave them. You just have to be aware of your limits and be careful."

He stood up and handed over a sheaf of parchment. Al saw his Dad take it almost absently, shock and disbelief clear on his face. His mum got shakily to her feet, gripping Al's shoulders so that he stood with her.

"I have detailed a timetable of daily medicines and potions. Potions can still be consumed if they are of a medical nature, and the medicines are mostly non-magical. You will have to come in for more tests and check-ups, but I have your contact information written down. I understand you drove here anyway, Mr Potter?"

The ride back to the Burrow was quiet. Al sat numbly looking at his hands, foot tapping absently to the tune of the radio. He could hear his parents murmuring to each other but he couldn't pay attention. He was too caught up in his thoughts.

He had a disease- a potentially terminal disease that only stopped being terminal if he stopped doing magic. He didn't want to die and so there wasn't really a question of just saying to hell with it and staying at Hogwarts. He was in his fourth year, having turned fourteen the month before in October. That had been when all this rubbish started. He had trouble waking up and his head ached all the time. In true Potter style he had ignored the idea that he might just be a little bit ill, even when he started fainting all over the place and only allowed himself to be dragged to the hospital when Lily found him unconscious in the common room. The girl was a force to be reckoned with where her family was concerned.

Harry steered the car into Ottery St. Catchpole, gravel crunching underneath the wheels. Al looked out of the window at the quiet village. There was a secondary school here, up from the square. Maybe I could go to that school, he thought, if I absolutely have to go to Muggle School, at least I'll be close to home.

The Potters had two houses. There was the one in Grimmauld Place, which was barely recognisable any more due to the hundreds of house elves that lived there once Aunt Hermione had rescued them from abusive owners. They had cleaned and cleaned until it looked more befitting of a king. The other house was the one they actually lived in. It was just down the road from the burrow and fit their messy, noisy, big family perfectly.

But apparently they weren't headed there-Al watched as they drove past the turning. So they were going to the Burrow then. All his cousins and siblings would be in school still, seeing as it was only a bit into the first term. But all his aunts and uncles would be there, Al realised with a sinking feeling. He hoped his parents would explain everything and just let him sleep on the sofa for a few hours. He decided to ask them.

"Of course we will sweetheart." Ginny answered immediately, "You know your Grandma will have to feed you up a bit first so you can eat and then have a sleep while we explain everything to the family." His dad nodded at him in the rear-view mirror. "I'll floo-call McGonagall and let her know the situation. She can have your stuff brought home. Don't worry," he added, seeing Al's expression, "I won't let her tell anyone, we'll keep it all as private as possible and let the rest of the family know at the holidays."

Al grinned gratefully at his Dad, the first smile since entering St Mungo's this morning. The Burrow came slowly into view and they pulled into the sunny garage. Most of it was full of Granddad's Muggle tools and objects. A rubber duck sat pride and place on the work surface, like it was a prized possession. To Arthur Weasley, it most probably was, Al mused. He clambered out of the car and trudged over to his parents, who were heading slowly towards the door. He gave his mum a quick hug and stepped on his dad's foot-a sign of affection that only they really understood before ducking through the back door into the kitchen.

Almost immediately he felt a wave of sickness. His gran used magic a lot in the kitchen and right now the dishes were busy cleaning themselves while the food floated around various family members, all of whom stopped what they were doing to look at them. Al heard his Dad ask him something and someone shook him by the shoulder but he couldn't get a word out. He threw up violently on the floor and his knees buckled. Someone (his Dad probably, but he couldn't see through the fuzziness) grabbed his arms and lifted him up before he hit the floor. Then they were moving out of the kitchen and into the living room where he was gently placed on a sofa.

He could feel someone removing his shoes and covering him with something. He could smell blueberries-Dad's weird shampoo that Lily teases him about, Al thought blearily. It was scary how fast he was falling asleep, or it would have been if he could think through the sleepiness. As it was, he barely heard his Dad wishing him a goodnight before he was fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! I didn't get much response for the last chapter and im not really surprised, but hopefully this one's better! Let me know what you think and thanks to all those who enjoyed this! Enjoy! That is an order!**

**Warnings: No warnings for this chapter :) **

**Disclaimer: All JK Rowlings, see previous chapter for details ;)**

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Chapter 2

The atmosphere in the kitchen was tense when Harry returned, shutting the living room door with a quiet snap.

"He's asleep. I think it was a reaction to all the magic and probably a bit of shock." He said it mostly to Ginny, who was still stood by the door, having scourgified the floor only when Albus was out of the way. Harry sighed tiredly and leaned back against the door he had just closed. Most everyone was seated at the table, barring Molly who was gripping the sink with wide eyes and a worried look. _Everyone_ looked worried.

Harry smiled sort of weakly around at everyone and began relaying everything Healer White had told them. He watched their reactions and wasn't surprised at what he saw. Ron and Hermione sat next to each other on one side of the table, Hermione silently crying whilst Ron held her close. Angelina looked sadly at George who had his eyes closed tightly. Arthur looked miserable and Molly had started sobbing. Bill and Fleur both looked shocked. Harry walked over to Ginny and hugged her close. She wasn't crying anymore but the devastated look on her face was more than he could take.

"So, he has to sort of go Muggle?" Percy asked awkwardly. His girlfriend Audrey sat next to him and both had the same shocked look as everyone else. Nobody could really believe it, hell he couldn't even believe it. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. Even things like the Floo and Quidditch could speed up the stages and I think I speak for everyone when I say that's the last thing we want happening." Everyone nodded furiously and voiced affirmatives. Ginny pulled back but didn't step out of his hold.

"We're going to have to be quite careful around him. I think what just happened was more shock than anything else but, it would be best if we kept the magic to a minimum around him. He's going to have to switch schools…" she trailed off, looking close to crying again and Harry felt his stomach clench at the thought. Hogwarts had been his home and he knew Al felt the same, maybe not as strongly but, his son still loved the castle and everything about it.

"He could go to the one here, Catchpole Secondary. There are even a couple of squibs working there so we could get them to keep an eye out for him." Arthur suggested it and Molly nodded thoughtfully, wiping her eyes on her apron.

"It's not as brilliant as Hogwarts of course," she admitted quietly, "but I've seen some of the children from there in the village and they've always been perfectly lovely. Im sure he would make friends there. He mostly keeps to himself at Hogwarts."

Ginny nodded. It was true, Harry thought. Lily was always writing letters home about the latest dramas with her friends. She was a complete social butterfly, happy to talk to everyone and anyone. James was just as popular as his namesakes and caused just as much trouble with Freddie, to McGonagall's despair. Al on the other hand spent most of his time in the library and didn't appear to have many friends. He talked a little with Rosie and Scorpius but, they were a couple now and tended to spend more time together or out playing Quidditch.

"Maybe he will. It might be good for him, get him out from everyone's shadow. At least for a bit anyway," Ginny added. Harry pulled her close again and then swung them both so that they were sat at the table. No one was really hungry after the news, but it seemed a waste to ignore Molly's cooking so Harry filled his plate, happy when everyone else copied. They would get through it all, he thought as the conversation started back up, albeit quieter and more subdued than before, they would just have to get through it.

Al sat at his desk and chewed on a sugar quill. He could hear his Dad singing along to the radio downstairs while he cooked tea. He wasn't too bad at either cooking or singing, though Ginny had advised him to never give up his day job.

The owl hooted softly from its perch on Albus's desk. He penned the rest of his letter to Lily, assuring her for the thousandth time that he was fine before signing his name. He attached the letter to the Hogwarts owl and waved it out of the window, watching as it became a tiny speck in the darkening sky. He could hear the doorbell ring downstairs and dreaded the walk downstairs. The Coder pamphlets said that exercise was a good idea, but he hated stairs with a passion. In his opinion, they should only go down. Groaning, Al got to his feet and shoved on a pair of green socks. He might have been a Gryffindor but that didn't stop James giving him Slytherin presents whenever he could. Bloody Brothers.

When he reached the kitchen he startled slightly in surprise. His mum was sat in her usual chair, reading through her latest article. She was a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies, but she also the advice column for Witch Weekly part-time. That wasn't what surprised him. It was more the image of his Dad pointing a sauce-covered wooden spoon at Scorpius's Dad and swinging his hips in a sort of dance. Draco Malfoy just rolled his eyes and chucked his coat at the man, waving a hand in greeting when Al snorted-it was hard not to when his Dad was still dancing with the coat over his head.

"Did you hex him, or is he just being his usual strange self?" Al inquired. His mum snorted and answered before Draco could. "He's been doing that all evening."

"He's been dancing with a wooden spoon and a coat all evening?" asked Draco amusedly. "Finally lost it Potter?" he asked in mock-sympathy as Harry returned and went back to the cooker. Al smiled and shuffled over to the table, slumping tiredly in a chair. Draco sat opposite him and raised an amused eyebrow.

"Nice shirt." Al looked down and grinned again. It was a blue one with the words "Im fluent in three languages: English, Sarcasm and Profanity," across it in yellow writing.

"It doesn't really go with the green socks, but thanks." Al quipped, eliciting a small grin from Draco. Draco worked with his Dad in the auror office. They had been partnered together after Uncle Ron took some time off to look after baby Rosie, who was 1 week old at the time. When Ron got back after a couple of months, Kingsley-the minister for magic-had paired him with a newbie and left Draco and Harry together. Apparently they got more work done that way and Kingsley didn't have to worry about finding Harry and Ron playing exploding snap instead of working anymore, because Draco hated exploding snap and didn't allow for distractions. In Al's opinion, they were quite a good team. So, it wasn't really unusual to find Draco in the Potter house for dinner or stealing a Muggle beer that his wife didn't allow in the house.

"I phoned the school today Al," Harry threw back over his shoulder, "they said you can come in on Thursday to have a look around. I can't go with you but your mother says she'll get the day off work." He looked guilty as he scooped curry onto four plates. Al rolled his eyes and stood to gather the cutlery. He only swayed a little bit and even if everyone else looked worried, he considered it a victory.

"It's fine Dad, no use feeling guilty, it's just a school. I reckon I'll be alright." He grabbed the cutlery and two plates so that his Dad could carry the rest in one go. They settled down to eat, Ginny still proof-reading while Draco and Harry bickered good-naturedly. That was one thing that hadn't changed about their relationship-their fights were still legendary and everything was still a competition, including the verbal sparring. Al was content to just sit and eat and listen, thinking of the coming Thursday with only a little trepidation.

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! I've written so much of this fic on my laptop and forgotten to actually upload any of it :)Oops! hopefully I'll get a bit more response now with more steadier updates. Thanks to those of you who expressed an interest in this story, I really appreciate it! Let me know if you like it and tell me what you thought with a review please :D Enjoy! **

**Warnings: Just some sadness really, nothing big!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I'm not doing this for money etc, just borrowing her world!**

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Chapter Three

The Gryffindor common room was rather busy for this time at night. It was past midnight and there were at least ten people gathered in the cosy room. Lily was curled up in the armchair by the fire watching as James and Freddie teased Louis about his hair. It was well known that Louis Weasley was more veela than boy and more blonde than normal. The boy was turning a lovely shade of red, Lily mused, and it was likely something would explode soon. The reason the common room was so busy was because they were all waiting on Al's letter. Rose and Scorpius were curled up together on an armchair, Roxanne, Lucy and Hugo sat smashed together on one of the sofas. Freddie, James and Louis were on another. Domi was sat with her legs crossed on the floor by the fire.

It was a bit stupid really, considering Al might not have even sent a letter yet-which was something James kept voicing constantly. Logically Lily knew that was possible, but she tended to ignore her logical side more often than not and so she strongly believed Al would answer their letter today. She had barely finished the thought when a tapping sound interrupted them. Leaping from her seat, Lily rushed to the window and waited impatiently for the owl to fly in.

She had written a letter with Domi yesterday when Al had been absent for at least two weeks. She had been the one to find Al unconscious the first week and dragged him to the hospital wing. She hadn't been particularly worried, seeing as there was always one Weasley/Potter in the hospital wing each week. But then there had been the few, short letters from her parents telling them about tests and scans and other medical stuff. And then there hadn't been anything. Another week had passed and no matter how much James and the others told her not to worry, she couldn't help but panic. So she wrote the letter with Domi and sent it off and then gathered everyone together to wait for a reply.

The owl hopped onto the windowsill and offered up the envelope tied to its leg. Quickly she untied the string and waved the owl away, ignoring the wing that cuffed her around her head as it left. She peeled back the seal and began to scan through the letter, forgetting about everyone else I the room.

James watched as his sister eagerly opened the letter. He rolled his eyes at Freddie who grinned cheekily in return. The whole family was basically humouring her at the moment, although admittedly he had felt a bit worried when no one wrote this past week. But honestly, he thought, Al could take care of himself and someone would have told them if there was something wrong. Unless there was something seriously wrong, he thought. He pushed back that thought forcefully and focused on Lily, who was now reading the letter.

Something was wrong. Lily was getting paler by the second and when James looked closely he could see she was trembling. He leapt to his feet just seconds before her knees gave way and he managed to reach her. They both sort of half-collapsed in a heap on the floor. He could hear his family's worried mutterings growing louder and he cast Muffliato at the doors. He didn't want anyone coming to investigate why the entire Weasley/Potter/Malfoy family were crammed in the Gryffindor common room, especially seeing as some of them weren't in Gryffindor.

James shifted his hold on Lily so that she was sat in his lap. He looked up to see Rosie hovering close by, Malfoy hanging back out of the way. Freddie was kneeling right next to him and had picked up the letter that Lily dropped. He read it silently and then swore loudly and fluently. James felt his stomach drop suddenly; his best friend would not have reacted like that unless it was the kind of serious James really didn't want to think about.

"Read it out loud Rosie, will you?" James asked, surprised to hear how his voice sounded strong despite the worry he was feeling. Rose nodded and took the letter gently of Freddie, who was now staring out into space. She cleared her throat and stood up so that everyone could hear her and started reading.

_Hey Lily and everyone else,_

_How are things going? Did James win the match? Im sorry I wasn't there to watch but it probably wouldn't have made a difference, James still sucks at Quidditch. Anyway, I meant to write last week but I was so busy up at St Mungo's and then there were all these specialists and consultants and it was a bit hectic. They figured out what was wrong though, so all the trouble was worth it I suppose. _

_I'm just going to say it fast and to the point. I have a terminal disease called Coder. Apparently im in the third stage of the disease at the moment and fainting was one of the symptoms. I have to take all this medication and injections every day but, im getting used to it. They taste really disgusting actually, but it's better than Lucy's cooking! _

_The worst part is that it's a magical disease. It attacks your magical core and any kind of magic speeds it up. Dad says to just say bluntly. Basically I have to stop using magic and being around so much magic or I won't make it to my sixteenth birthday. _

_Dad's going to phone up the school in Ottery St Catchpole and see about getting me a place there and Mum wants to get me involved in some clinical trials or something-im not too sure about that but the school thing sounds okay. I might get some friends there and they learn different things in Muggle schools. I can always come back if the disease goes away. And I won't be leaving any of my family behind unless that's what you want to happen. It will probably be difficult, seeing as you can't really use any magic around me without my health acting up. We tried to floo the other day and I passed out in the wrong grate. _

_You don't have to worry though. Gran's busy feeding me up and Granddad and I are "researching" Muggles-which means he's trying to find out how aeroplanes stay up and im trying to learn enough that I don't seem like an idiot in school. Dad and Uncle Ron just keep making stupid jokes about it and Aunt Hermione won't stop reading-if anyone can find a cure, it's that woman. George wanted me to tell Freddie that he's thinking of a whole new "health line" for the joke shop and that's why he can't write and Uncle Charlie says we can go on holiday to see the new baby dragons for free in the summer, if I make it, so that should be great! Fleur and Mum are taking me Muggle clothes shopping, which sounds like hell and I'd rather be in History with Binn's. Oh and Draco says he's going to try and teach me all about football, seeing as Muggles love it like we love Quidditch._

_Try and keep this quiet, Uncle Percy's doing damage control at the ministry but someone will notice that im not at school sooner or later. Everyone sends their love and apologies for not writing. I have to go now, I need to try and stop Dad from singing before Draco gets here-he said he might pop round this week for tea. Hope this gets to you okay Lils and try not to worry too much, I'll see you at Christmas, it's not that far away! I hope everything's alright where you are and say hi to James for me please._

_Love Al._

Rosie stopped reading and stared for a few seconds at the letter. James couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. His brother was dying-that was the gist of it. Most of the time he didn't show it, but James loved his siblings to pieces and the idea of one of them dying, or even maybe dying was too much to take in. And Al had to leave the magical world; he had to stop being a wizard! That was the best cure they could think of? That was the only cure they could think of?

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As far as nightmares go, thought Al, this one isn't so bad. Lily would have told him to stop being so dramatic but really, how else was he supposed to be? Catchpole Secondary had nothing on Hogwarts although it wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. It was a huge red-brick building that managed to look new and old at the same time. He was stood in the car park around the front but there were a multitude of fields around the back of the school and to the left that he could see.

"Albus, come on!" Al glanced up to where his mum stood in the reception doorway and jogged towards her. He'd opted to wait by the car while she sorted out the interview. Ginny smiled reassuringly when Al reached her and held the door open for him to step through. He looked around in surprise-it wasn't exactly the nightmarish prison he had been preparing for.

Okay so he hadn't actually been expecting bars on the windows and black paint everywhere, but it was nice to confirm it. It was all quiet and calm with sign-up sheets, pictures and announcements papering the yellow walls. The receptionist looked more like a Barbie doll than a goblin or something as she waved them past. There was a tall man in a blue shirt and suit trousers waiting at the end of the hall. He didn't look evil either.

The man held a hand out as they reached him.

"Hello, Mrs Potter is it? My name is Mr Roberts and I'm the headmaster here at Catchpole Secondary. And you must be Albus Potter." The man-Mr Roberts finished saying hello to Ginny and turned a hand to Al, who shook it nervously.

"Just Al please." He corrected and then returned Mr Roberts' smile.

"Well! We best get started then, there's lots to see and im hoping we can get most of it done in time for lunch." He clapped his hands together and Al half-expected to see a house-elf appear at the gesture. He felt a little silly afterwards and trudged quickly after the two adults.

They didn't go in any classrooms seeing as lessons were still going on, but the headmaster pointed out all the different ones and talked about which teachers he would probably get. There were a lot more here than there were at Hogwarts! Mr Roberts chatted quite easily with them both, although Al didn't say much. He let his mother do most of the talking and she actually seemed more interested than Al did.

"We'll give you a chance to pick your options of course-you get to pick four classes to fill up your timetable alongside the compulsory ones like Maths and Science. It's all in a booklet; I have it in my office for you." Mr Roberts told him as they came to a stop outside a classroom.

"Actually, Mrs Potter it might be best if Al met his Buddy without adults around, so maybe we could go and fetch the booklets and other information whilst he waits here?"

"Buddy?" asked Al. There hadn't been anything about a buddy mentioned in their tour and yet his mother didn't look surprised. They must have discussed it while he hid out in the car park.

"Ah yes. We assign a Buddy to any new students attending. Im sure she can explain everything to you." Ginny smiled at him again as they both started back down the corridor. Al very much wanted to run screaming though the halls, back out to the car and fly it to Hogwarts, like his Dad and Uncle Ron did in their second year. He couldn't though-mainly because the car couldn't fly like the old Ford Anglia. There was also the little matter of his untimely demise if he went near anything remotely magical and Hogwarts was more than magical.

"Stop being such a cowardly prat. You're a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin." Squaring his shoulders he knocked twice on the classroom door and pushed it open, stepping half into the room. It was a music room-the huge piano in the middle sort of gave it away-and he could hear a tinny sort of sound.

"Hello?" he called half-heartedly. There was a muffled yelp from behind the piano and then a small thud and a groan. Al stepped properly into the room and headed slowly for the piano. He peered curiously at the person on the ground, who had apparently been lying on the stool. It was a very small stool though, so half of their body must have been hanging off the edge, Al mused. Al couldn't help the tiny laugh that escaped as he held out a hand to the person-who he could see now was a girl. She sat up and smiled sheepishly, accepting the hand and swinging herself onto her feet.

"Sorry about that, you made me jump, which is stupid because I knew you were on your way here." She was almost, but not quite babbling and her face was turning a lovely red colour. Al just waved a hand dismissively.

"It's not a problem, I've done clumsier things. I've definitely done stupider things at the very least." He held out his hand again and she accepted it again but this time they shook.

"Al Potter, nice to meet you." He tried to say it warmly, but he didn't really have much in the way of social skills. She seemed okay with his awkward vibes though and just dropped his hand to salute him.

"Nice to meet you to Al, I'm Chess Lewis. And may I just say that is an awesome shirt."

Al looked down at his shirt and grinned. It was green with the black slogan; I would flex, but I like this shirt. He thought it was awesome.

"Thank you. So, what are we supposed to be doing here? And what's that sound?" The tinny sound was still echoing but it was louder now that he was closer to Chess. She raised a confused eyebrow before comprehension dawned on her face.

"Oh! It's just my iPod music. I was listening to it when you came in." she informed him, unclipping a small green box from the pocket of her denim jeans. She started pressing buttons on the box and Al took the time to take in the rest of her appearance. She was about his height with dark brown hair kept at bay with a red headband. She had on a short-sleeved denim jacket and a blue ruffled top with a pattern of cherries. Her dark jeans came to a stop at a pair of red vans which had blue and white laces. She didn't wear any make-up or jewellery as far as he could tell.

The music came to a stop and Al snapped his gaze away quickly, not wanting this girl to see him looking at her _that_ way. Which actually he hadn't been, he was just looking.

"Right, sorry about that." She clipped the box back onto her pocket and then walked over to a chair with a bag under it. He followed her over and sat in the one opposite. She smiled at him and he noticed she had very straight white teeth.

"So, Mr Roberts made me your Buddy. I always think that sounds patronising, so just call me a friend if you like." Al smiled and nodded, agreeing; buddy did sound patronising.

"The receptionist said you were home-schooled? In that case you might not get the grade system in schools. It's really simple and I expect it's in the booklet or whatever but, basically your pass grades are C, B, A and then the highest is A+. Any others are fail grades but they aren't necessarily bad; it just depends on what you're aiming for."

Al nodded. He wanted to ask what the letters stood for but he had a feeling that they were just letters. It sounded easy enough at any rate, so maybe there was hope yet. He asked her what she had to do as a "buddy" and was thankful when she just accepted the question. He was honestly terrible at all this social interaction stuff. Hogwarts didn't have Buddy's.

"Well, im here for anything you need-any questions you need answering or if you need help or if you get lost. Just think of me as a friend basically."

"What classes do you take?" he asked. There was a lot of ink on her hands…maybe art?

Chess dug through the bag at her feet and brought out a notepad. She chucked it towards him and he opened it slowly. There was a timetable stuck to the inside of the cover.

"Most of the lessons are compulsory, you know like English and Science. I took Photography, Music, Dance and Geography. I wanted to take a language but they do clubs outside of school that teach you that. I go to Italian club and Textiles after school. There's a whole list of clubs and revision sessions in your booklet."

"It sounds brilliant. What are the people like here?" he was unsociable around people he was comfortable with; what would he be like around a school full of strangers?

Chess seemed to guess what was going through his mind because she smiled again. She did that a lot, he noticed, and yet they all seemed genuine and none of them were pitying or sympathetic yet. They were just smiles.

"You get a few jerks or idiots in every school and this one's no exception but for the most part, everyone here's polite and friendly. I expect a lot of the girls will be extra friendly to you," she teased him. She burst out laughing a second later when he blushed and sputtered.

"I-I'm not…I mean, I, they wouldn't-oh shut up!" he tried to snap the last bit but Chess was one of those people with an infectious laugh and he couldn't help but grin back at her, cheeks flushed.

"If that' your usual reaction then im never going to stop teasing you! You'll want me gone in way less than a week."

"Not likely. You aren't an axe murderer, you actually are trying to help me, you remind me of the Cheshire cat and you like my t-shirt. I think you can stick around as long as you like, if that's not a horrible idea to you." He blushed again at the end of his little speech, but it was all true. She had been pretty cool so far and he hadn't had proper friends outside of the family, so maybe she could be the first.

Chess grinned, not unlike a Cheshire cat and nodded in agreement.

"Not at all. You look and smell pretty normal, you wear stupid t-shirts, you seem just as awkward as me and you weren't a git when I fell off the piano stool. I don't think that's a terrible idea at all. Now, let's go find your…whoever came with you and on the way im going to explain what an iPod is because the look on your face indicated you had no idea what the little green cube did."

"I thought of it as more of a green box with buttons on. Does it summon aliens?"

"Nope, that's the purple one."

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